Slidable belt buckle



Jan. 29 1935. D. I. REKTER SLIDABLE BELT BUCKLE Filed Nov. 22, 1933 Dag?! j ATTd NEY Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to strap or belt buckles, and particularly to that type provided with clamping means designed to engage a pair of strap ends and to adjustably connect and secure said strap ends together.

My invention contemplates the provision of a simple and economical three-piece buckle of thin and fiat construction as compared with the buckles heretofore used for the same purpose.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a buckle designed to firmly grip and conceal the ends of the pair of straps engaged and connected thereby and to eliminate the necessity for exposing the end part of the strap.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a buckle provided with clamping means for the strap ends so arranged and designed as to make it possible to center the buckle between the ends of the strap and thereby to present the desirable symmetrical appearance.

The various objects of my invention will be clear from the description'which follows, and from the drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cap of the adjustable type including a pair of adjusting straps, to which my invention has been applied, and showing the buckle in its operative position, centered on the cap.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through my improved buckle, taken'on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3, showing the strap ends in dash-dot lines.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of my improved buckle.

In that practical embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated by way of example, my improved buckle consists of the one-piece main body portion preferably U-shaped in crosssection, and the spaced similar clamping levers l1 and 12. v

The body member 10 is preferably made of a single piece of sheet metal and comprises the main section 13, the outer surface 14 of which may be engraved, embossed or otherwise suitably decorated in a manner known in the art. At and integral with each of the side edges of the section 10 is provided a comparatively narrow depending fiange as 15. Said flange is narrowest at its central portion 16, the length of which portion is a substantial part of the entire length of the body member. At each of its extremities, the flange 15 terminates in a longitudinally and laterally enlarged portion, as 17 and 18 respectively. Said portions 17 and 18 are each provided with a substantially central perforation, as 19 and 20 respectively.

The clamping levers 11 and 12 being similar in all respects, a description of one will sdflice for both. Said lever 11 is formed preferably of a single piece of sheet metal and comprises the handle or finger grip portion 21, and the toothed 5 portion 22 integrally joined to the finger grip portion by meansof the integral substantially right angle bend 33. The toothed portion 22 terminates in a series of teeth or serrations 23 adapt: ed to enter and to grip the strap end 24. Said l0 toothed strap-engaging portion 22 is provided with a. pair of narrow opposed transverse projections or extensions as 25 and 26 at the respective side edges thereof, of greater length than the thickness of the material of the enlarged l5 portion 17 and passing through the perforations 19, whereby the lever 11 is pivotally secured to the body member 10. Said projections 25 and 26 lie preferably in the plane of the strap-engaging portion 22.

The peripheral edge of the finger portion 21 is suitably curved to reduce said portion in width and to permit the lever to be swung through an angle of approximately 180 out of its operative strap engaging position. In the operative 25 position of the lever 11, the extreme edges 35 of the teeth 23 are inslight spaced relation to the inner surface36 of the section 13 to provide a strap receiving space 27, and the finger grip portion 21 lies behind the section 13, and can be swung into contact at its end with the surface 36. It will be understood that to secure the strap and 24 in place, the lever is rotated into the dotted line position of Fig. 2 to enlarge the space 27. The strap end is then passed through said space-for the :desired distance and the lever then rotated in the full line position of Fig. 2, the teeth 23 thereby entering the strap end and clamping it against the inner face 36 of the body section. The strap end 28 is simi- 40 larly secured in place by means of the lever 12.

If said strap ends 24 and 28 are of such length that when adjusted, they project beyond the body section 13, one end portion as 24 is nevertheless concealed by the other end portion, and the other end portion maybe cut oil so that no projecting ends are visible, as is best shown in Fig. 1. Or if desired, both ends'of the strap may be out off to lie within the limits of the body sec; 1 tion 13.

Should the buckle be-so arranged that it is not centered properly on the article in which the buckle is used, for example, on the cap 30, the buckle may be moved away from the end 01' one of the straps and toward the end or the other strap into its buckle centrally o! the It will be seen that proper position to bring the cap or other article. the buckle conceals the strap ends, that it may readily be arranged centrally of the article to which the buckle is to be secured, and that it adjustibly secures the strap ends together to make the strap of the required effective length or to put the strap under the required tension.

It will further be understood that my improved buckle may be arranged to secure together the ends of straps of various types of articles, such as shoes and the like and that while I have illustrated its application to an adjustable cap, I do not wish to limit myself to its use in such articles only.

It will further be seen that my improved buckle occupies little space laterally, being thin and thereby unlikely to cause pressure upon the wearer, and that my improved buckle consists of a minimum number of parts, requires no skill in handling, may be rapidly and economically produced in large quantities, and is well adapted to meet the severe requirements of practical use.

While I have shown and described certain preferred forms of my invention, it will be understood that I do not desire to limit myself thereto but intend to claim my invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

means In a buckle, a main body member symmetrical about its transverse center line and of a single piece of sheet material and comprising a longitudinally curved imp'eriorate section, and a pair or flanges each integral with and depending from one of the side edges of said section, each of said flanges having a pair of perforated end enlarge ments, and a narrower portion of uniform width and of greater than half the length of the body portion joining the enlargements, and a pair 01 imperforate one-piece levers each arranged between the corresponding enlargements oi the pair of flanges, each of said. levers being provided integrally with a pair of opposed transversely extending projections entering the pair of perforations of the corresponding enlargements to pivot the lever to the flanges, and each of said levers being concealed by the main member when in operative position and being adapted to clamp a strap end adjustably to the buckle and there' by to adjustably secure a pair of strap ends together, said main member concealing the strap ends so secured and each of said levers comprising a short strap-engaging portion terminating in an edge provided with a series of concave tooth-forming recesses, and a longer finger grip portion having a convex edge and arranged at right angles to the strap-engaging portion, said projections being arranged in the plane of the strap-engaging portions.

DANIEL I. REITER. 

